The driver's shoulders tensed up instantly.
"Milady, hold on tight!"
Satsuki had not even figured out what was happening yet when the sedan abruptly swerved to the left.
The seatbelt suddenly tightened across her chest.
Chizuru reached out and grabbed the grab handle.
Satsuki's whole body leaned to the right from inertia, and as her gaze swept past the car window, all she saw was a massive expanse of white rapidly closing in.
It was a truck.
It rushed out from a side road ahead.
It was going so fast that it clearly had no intention of slowing down.
The security SUV at the front of the convoy had already cut to the right, attempting to block its path before the truck could, but the distance between them was simply too close.
The truck driver was even continuing to step on the gas.
The heavy roar of the engine could be clearly heard even through the enclosed cabin.
"Right!"
The special operations personnel in the passenger seat shouted.
Satsuki's driver had already turned the steering wheel hard to the left.
The SUV in front rushed forward at the same time.
Everything happened within a matter of seconds.
The front of the truck first grazed the rear of the security SUV.
The heavy impact sent that SUV spinning halfway around abruptly.
Afterwards, the remaining large portion of the truck's front continued to bear down along its original direction.
Satsuki only had time to see that patch of white metal outside the car window growing larger and larger.
The next instant—
"Boom!"
The entire sedan was struck from the side as if hammered by something heavy.
Satsuki's body was violently thrown to the right.
The seatbelt yanked her forcefully back into her seat, causing a sharp pain in her shoulders.
The document folder that had been holding the agreements flew straight out, crashing against the door on the other side, and several loosely clipped papers spilled from the opening, scattering in a mess throughout the cabin.
Chizuru was also knocked sideways by the impact.
Then came another heavy sound of metal crushing.
The truck did not stop.
It kept pushing the sedan forward.
The driver desperately tried to correct the steering, and the tires emitted a sharp friction sound on the road, but the huge weight disparity between the two vehicles still caused the sedan to uncontrollably slide toward the edge of the road.
Cracks rapidly crawled across the right window.
The bulletproof glass did not shatter, but a dense web of white cracks instantly filled half of Satsuki's field of vision.
"Bang!"
Accompanied by a loud crash, the car body slammed into something else.
This impact came from the rear side.
Satsuki's head struck the edge of the headrest, and her vision went black for a brief moment.
Her ears were filled with the sounds of metal grinding and tires screaming.
A few seconds later, everything finally stopped.
The cabin was abnormally quiet.
For a moment, Satsuki could not even tell if there were any sounds outside, feeling only a faint ringing lingering in her eardrums.
She closed her eyes for a moment.
And opened them again.
Her vision gradually cleared up again.
The first things that came into Satsuki's view were the documents scattered at her feet and the water cup that had overturned on the carpet.
A faint ringing still lingered in her ears.
It took her a couple of seconds to recover before she remembered the person beside her.
"Chizuru?"
When she spoke, she realized her voice sounded somewhat strained.
Chizuru had already straightened her posture.
The long hair that had scattered during the impact was quickly tied back behind her head, and her own seatbelt was already unbuckled.
Confirming that Satsuki had regained consciousness, she leaned in closer and directly reached out to press the seatbelt buckle at Satsuki's waist.
"I am here."
Her voice was slightly faster than usual, yet still very steady.
"The vehicle is disabled; we need to evacuate immediately."
Just as the seatbelt was released from in front of Satsuki, Chizuru's movements suddenly paused for a fraction of a second.
She saw the blood on Satsuki's left cheek.
A not-so-deep wound grazed past her cheekbone, and bright red blood had already slid down a small stretch along her skin.
"Milady, you have an injury on your face."
Chizuru only said that one sentence before her hand reached toward the body armor on her chest.
A very small emergency medical pouch was secured near her waist.
She quickly tore open the seal, taking out disinfecting gauze and hemostatic dressings from inside.
Satsuki only then raised her hand.
When her fingertips touched the side of her face, a slight stinging sensation followed.
She pulled her hand back.
Her index finger was stained with blood.
Satsuki looked at that speck of red, her movements freezing.
When the entire car was knocked away by the truck just moments ago, she had not truly realized she was injured.
But now, the blood was stained right on her own finger.
At that instant, her mind actually went blank for a moment.
Blood...
I am bleeding?
It was not until Chizuru pressed the gauze against the side of her face that she snapped back to reality.
"It is going to hurt a little."
Chizuru reminded her.
The moment the disinfectant touched the wound, Satsuki's eyebrows furrowed slightly.
"Just a scratch?"
"It does not look deep at the moment."
While treating her, Chizuru quickly checked Satsuki's forehead, pupils, and neck for any other obvious external injuries.
"Are you feeling dizzy, nauseous, or having trouble seeing clearly?"
Satsuki blinked twice.
Her vision had fully recovered.
"No."
"Where does it hurt?"
"My shoulder hurts a little."
But it was probably from the seatbelt constricting earlier.
Chizuru nodded, secured the hemostatic dressing, and then reached out to briefly feel around Satsuki's shoulder.
Confirming there was no obvious abnormality, she relaxed her hand slightly.
"We will evacuate first. Other injuries can be checked after we leave here."
Satsuki lowered her gaze to look at the blood on her finger that was beginning to darken.
That momentary trance from earlier had passed.
She pulled out a tissue and wiped the blood clean from her hand.
"What about you?"
"My right shoulder took a hit, but it does not affect my mobility."
Chizuru answered quickly.
She had already turned her body back around, supporting Satsuki with one hand while preparing to open the car door with the other.
"Milady, the people outside will establish a passage first. After getting out, please follow me closely, do not stop, and do not look back."
Satsuki exhaled softly.
"Okay."
Outside the car door, continuous and rhythmic tapping from the security personnel quickly sounded.
"Milady!"
It was a security guard.
"The vehicle is no longer operable, please evacuate immediately!"
Satsuki glanced outward.
Through the window cracked into a web of white patterns, it was difficult to see the situation clearly; she could only faintly make out a few figures moving rapidly beside the car.
Dojima's voice simultaneously sounded over the radio.
"The passage ahead has been cleared, and the backup vehicle is approaching. Milady, please evacuate immediately according to the guards' instructions."
Hearing this, Chizuru already had one hand supporting Satsuki's arm and her other hand resting near the door, waiting for the guards outside to open a safe passage.
Satsuki nodded gently.
The momentary loss of focus when she saw the blood earlier had completely passed.
She looked down and saw those agreements scattered at her feet, one of the pages having its corner soaked by the overturned water.
It had been less than an hour since she signed them.
Yet now they had already been through a car crash with her.
Satsuki looked at them for two seconds, then suddenly chuckled softly.
"It seems Mr. Washio is indeed very angry today."
Chizuru did not pick up on the joke, only reminding her in a low voice:
"Milady, prepare to get out of the car."
"Mhm."
The door on the other side was promptly pulled open from the outside.
The night wind instantly rushed into the cabin.
Chizuru first checked the situation outside, then shielded Satsuki as they quickly got out of the car.
Until her feet touched the road surface, Satsuki truly saw the scene outside clearly for the first time.
It was much more chaotic than it looked through the bulletproof glass.
The two sedans that initially rammed the security cars were still parked behind; one of them lay sideways across the middle of the road, its front severely deformed.
The SUV they had dragged down was parked further away, its doors open, and several S.A. personnel were controlling the people inside.
The truck in front was parked diagonally at the side of the road.
The left side of its front was dented deeply, and the bumper had fallen off halfway.
The sedan Satsuki had been riding in was pushed to the edge of the road by it, its right front body was visibly deformed, and the originally flat door was deeply indented.
If it had been an ordinary sedan...
Satsuki looked at that indentation and suddenly felt that the wound on her face did not seem quite so worth minding after all.
The ordinary vehicles around them had all stopped.
Some people were reversing.
Some got out of their cars and stood far away to watch.
A few drivers clearly realized something was wrong and, without even caring about their cars, turned and ran into nearby shops.
S.A. personnel were rapidly cordoning off this small section of the road.
The few individuals closest to the truck were already wearing full protective gear, while several other personnel utilized the vehicles to establish a passage leading to the backup sedan.
The entire process was so fast that it somewhat surprised Satsuki.
She had read many reports in the past.
Dojima had also demonstrated the procedures after a convoy was attacked to her more than once.
But after truly standing at the center of the scene, the feeling was still completely different.
"Milady, this way."
A guard walked up to her side.
Chizuru had already pressed close to Satsuki's other side.
Satsuki took two steps forward, then looked back at the truck.
Three S.A. personnel had already approached the cab.
The weapons in their hands were precisely the forced subjugation equipment Satsuki had requested to be prepared beforehand.
Up to this point, no shots had actually been fired at the scene.
This made the last bit of discomfort in her heart fade a little.
The commotion was indeed bigger than anticipated.
But after all, it was still within the scope of what Dojima could handle.
"Has the person inside come out?"
Satsuki asked.
The guard nearby replied:
"Not yet, the driver refuses to get out of the vehicle."
"What about the back?"
"No movement for the time being."
Satsuki's pace slowed slightly.
The windshield of the truck's cab was already cracked.
From that angle, the person inside could not be clearly seen; she could only faintly make out a figure near the driver's seat.
The S.A. personnel responsible for frontal control had reached both sides of the front of the truck.
Someone used a loudspeaker to shout inside.
The voice traveled far down the night street.
"Listen up, personnel inside the vehicle, open the door immediately and keep your hands where we can see them."
There was no response.
"Repeat, open the door immediately. Do not make any sudden movements."
Still no response.
Satsuki frowned.
"Washio's people?"
Chizuru immediately inquired through her earpiece.
A few seconds later, she replied in a low voice:
"SIS confirms this truck entered a warehouse controlled by Washio-gumi this afternoon, but the driver's identity... has not been verified yet."
Satsuki turned her head to look at her.
"Not confirmed yet?"
Chizuru did not explain on behalf of SIS, only nodding slightly.
Satsuki looked back toward the truck, her eyebrows furrowing even deeper instead.
So much time had passed since the vehicle first appeared.
Given SIS's personnel deployed in advance tonight, since they had even found out where the truck went in the afternoon, for the driver to still be met with only a single phrase of 'currently verifying' up to now was inherently a bit abnormal.
Furthermore, that person's reaction was also very strange.
The car had been forced to a stop, and all around were heavily armed S.A. personnel.
In such a situation, a normal person would either panic and resist, find a way to escape, or otherwise be frightened out of their wits by the spectacle before them.
Yet the person inside the cab still had not come down.
In fact, it was excessively quiet.
Satsuki stared at that cracked windshield for a moment, an unspeakable discomfort suddenly rising in her heart.
"Chizuru."
"Yes."
"Have SIS verify it again."
Satsuki's voice remained steady.
"I want to know who is really sitting inside."
She paused, her gaze never shifting away from the truck.
"I do not know why..."
"I just feel something is off."
Dojima had evidently also noticed the problem.
He walked over quickly from the direction of the truck, his gaze lingering on the dressing on Satsuki's face for only a split second.
"Milady, get in the backup car first."
Satsuki glanced at him.
"Is there a problem with that car?"
"We cannot be sure yet."
Dojima looked back toward the truck.
Several special operations team members had dispersed to both sides of the cab, their guns aimed at the cab as they slowly approached under the cover of the truck's front and nearby vehicles.
"The vehicle's origin matches Washio-gumi, but the person inside has never had their identity confirmed, and their course of action does not match the information previously grasped by SIS."
Saying this, his voice lowered slightly.
"I suggest we no longer judge based on the original contingency plan."
This time, Satsuki did not ask further.
That lingering unease from just now was not just her own illusion.
"Alright."
She followed Chizuru and continued walking toward the backup car.
"Leave the rest to you. But as long as circumstances permit, try to leave a live prisoner."
Dojima glanced at her.
"Understood."
These two words were heavier than usual.
Satsuki heard it, but did not look back again.
The most important thing now was to leave the disabled vehicle first.
The backup car was just over a dozen steps away, the personal guard unit was already guarding near the door, and several other personnel formed a temporary barrier along the direction of her movement.
Over at the truck, it was still quiet.
Quiet in a way that made people increasingly uncomfortable.
One S.A. personnel had already approached the right side of the cab, while two other individuals controlled the front and left side respectively.
The warning in the loudspeaker was repeated once more, yet the person inside did not give even the slightest response.
Just as Chizuru was about to pull open the rear door of the backup car, the portable phone hanging at her side suddenly rang.
She quickly answered it.
"Yes."
Only a few words were spoken on the other end of the phone.
Chizuru's expression immediately changed.
She immediately turned to Satsuki and handed the phone over.
"Milady, it is Mr. Masato."
Satsuki reached out and took it.
"Masato?"
The voice on the other end of the phone was very urgent, and in the background, the sounds of paper turning and someone speaking quickly could be heard.
"Milady, you must leave the scene immediately!"
Saionji Masato did not even report the investigation process first like he usually did.
"We just found out that among the people Washio has recently contacted, one identity is fake. After continuing to check down his entry records and funds, we also found at least two Americans!"
Satsuki's footsteps paused for a moment.
"Americans?"
"Yes."
Masato's speaking speed was extremely hurried.
"One of them has contacted people around Washio in the past few days. His specific identity has not been confirmed yet, but he definitely does not belong to the line we arranged to infiltrate."
Satsuki's fingers holding the phone tightened slightly.
That ominous premonition that had been suppressed in her heart all along finally took shape.
"Meaning—"
"Milady!"
Masato directly interrupted her.
"Tonight, someone else is utilizing Washio—"
Almost at the exact moment those words fell, a roar suddenly came from the direction of the truck.
"Stop!"
Satsuki abruptly turned her head.
Inside the cab that had consistently had no movement, that figure suddenly approached the shattered window.
The next instant, a dark object flew out from inside.
It crossed over the car door, traced a very short arc under the streetlight, bounced once on the asphalt road surface, and rolled forward a short distance further.
Satsuki did not recognize it at first.
The S.A. personnel closest to it changed their expressions almost the moment it landed.
"Grenade!"
The moment the shout exploded, the several individuals who had been closing in on the cab simultaneously lunged for cover.
Dojima abruptly turned his head back.
Chizuru had already grabbed Satsuki in a tight embrace, and the guards nearby also lunged forward at the exact same instant.
Satsuki did not even have time to react before her whole body was violently pulled by two forces toward the rear of the backup car.
The phone in her hand slipped away and flew out, crashing onto the road.
The next instant, she had already heavily crashed onto the asphalt road surface.
Chizuru closely pressed against her side, while another guard virtually covered their outer side with his whole body, firmly shielding Satsuki behind the body of the backup car.
Satsuki's face pressed close to the cold ground.
Before her vision was completely blocked, the last thing she saw was that dark object resting a few meters away.
The next second.
The explosion abruptly swallowed her vision.